“The Tortured Poets Department” sends listeners through all the stages of grief at once. This gloriously chaotic work of art reveals the inner mind of one of today’s top musical artists.
The album was originally released at midnight on April 19, with 16 tracks. It was quickly followed up by the release of a deluxe album called “The Anthology,” with 31 tracks, at 2:00 a.m., later that night. Republic Records reported that “The Tortured Poets Department” has become the fastest album to hit 1 billion global streams in history, according to Pop Hive on X.
In the days before the release of the album, a coded message was released to fans. Famous for her cryptic messages, Swift’s fans quickly deciphered the code, which read “We hereby conduct this postmortem.” This led fans to believe that the album was a deconstruction of Swift’s past relationship, examining the events and cause of death in that relationship.
Swift, known for her expert lyricism, shows that this album is no different when it comes to the heart-wrenching lyrics. However, a popular criticism of the album is the amount of profanity Swift uses in comparison to her other albums.
While this can be a deterrent to some listeners, it communicates vulnerability with her audience. Swift was more raw in “The Tortured Poets Department” than in “The Anthology,” replacing profanity to cater to her younger audience.
A major theme throughout all of Swift’s albums are the ambiguity of the lyrics. These songs are written as letters to the people in her life, featuring first-person rhetoric. This approach to songwriting allows the audience to connect to the lyrics on a personal level while also maintaining a professional silence regarding who the songs are about.
The album, while not directed towards an audience, functions as a literary public diary of experiences and feelings Swift has gone through in her love life and overall career. While names and the exact nature of these experiences are never officially disclosed by Swift herself, the lyrics and narratives of each song demonstrate the vulnerability and personal turmoil she walks through.
“Loml” breaks expectations, with listeners initially believing that the acronym stood for “love of my life.” However, after its release, listeners will quickly realize that the relationship Swift references seems to be beyond reconciliation and instead is the “loss” of her life.
Several tracks address the complications and many straws that partners grasp at when attempting to salvage a broken relationship. By the end of the brokenness, Swift paints a picture of what it means to not only lose a loved one, but also the sweet memories she once had.
“So long, London” mirrors her former song, “London Boy,” from the album “Lover.” Swift waves goodbye to London, giving a new meaning to her happy memories that were tainted by the death of a once colorful relationship.
The album ends on the positive note of acceptance.
“The Alchemy,” is the only song on the album that indirectly references Swift’s current love, Travis Kelce. By using allusions to football, she takes listeners back to a high school relationship filled with flowery language and a compelling romance. By writing about her current relationship, Swift shows her audience that she has accepted her circumstances and is embracing the future.
“The Tortured Poets Department” explores love’s turbulence, touching on the tainted reality of heartbreak’s aftermath.
